At Seventeen Chords by Janis Ian

[Start]

[Verse]
C   G           Cmaj7    C        
■ I learned the truth at seventeen
     D                  D7     Dm7   
That love was meant for beauty queens
G7                                       G     
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Cmaj7                              G
Who married young and then retired ■
    Cmaj7                  
The valentines I never knew
Dsus4 Dm7          D7          Dm7  
The   Friday night charades of youth
G               G7                
■ Were spent on one more beautiful
Cmaj7                                 
■     At seventeen I learned the truth
    Eb                       D7   
And those of us with ravaged faces
               G7           
Lacking in the social graces
Cm7                         
Desperately remained at home
                 Fm          
Inventing lovers on the phone


[Chorus]
Ab                     G7           
Who called to say Come dance with me
Cm7              Fm7   Dm7        
■   And murmured vague obscenities
                Dm7  
It isn't all it seems
G7          
At seventeen


[Verse]
C Cmaj7                          Dm7
A brown eyed girl in handmedowns ■  
                                   G7
Whose name I never could pronounce ■ 
                                    Cmaj7
Said Pity please the ones who serve ■    
                   Cmaj7       
They only get what they deserve
        Cmaj7                         
And the rich relationed hometown queen
Dm7     D7   Dm7           
Marries into what she needs
       G7                  
With a guarantee of company
C                 Cmaj7  
And haven for the elderly


[Chorus]
Cmaj7                          
Remember those who win the game
Dm7                G7            
Lose the love they sought to gain
Cm7              Fm      Fm7
In debentures of quality ■  
Cm7         Fm       
And dubious integrity
Ab                        G7         
Their smalltown eyes will gape at you
   Cm7           Fm7          Dm7
In dull surprise when payment due
        Dm7              
Exceeds accounts received
G7          
At seventeen


[Solo]
G G7 C Cmaj7 C Dm7 G G7
■ ■  ■ ■     ■ ■   ■ ■ 
G G7 Cmaj7 Eb Cm7 Eb Dm7 G
■ ■  ■     ■  ■   ■  ■   ■
Cm7 Fm7 Cm7 C Fm7 Ab G7 C
■   ■   ■   ■ ■   ■  ■  ■
Fm Fm7 Dm7 G7 Cmaj7
■  ■   ■   ■  ■    


[Verse]
   Cmaj7                        
To those of us who knew the pain
Dm7                          
Of valentines that never came
G7                                  Cmaj7 
■  And those whose names were never called
              Cmaj7               
When choosing sides for basketball
                        G   
It was long ago and far away
Dm7                            G    
■   The world was younger than today
                                  Cmaj7
And dreams were all they gave for free 
        Cmaj7                 
To ugly duckling girls like me


[Chorus]
       Eb                Ab      Eb  
We all play the game and when we dare
Dm7                   G7       
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Cm7              Ab     Fm7  
Inventing lovers on the phone
Cm7             Fm           
Repenting other lives unknown
Ab                     G          G7
That call and say Come dance with me
Cm7        Fm                Dm7
And murmur vague obscenities ■  
              Dm7    
At ugly girls like me


[Outro]
G7           G Cmaj7 G
At seventeen ■ ■     ■